Gỏi Trứng Sam (Horseshoe Crab)

Roasted horseshoe crab eggs salad

Horseshoe crabs (called sam) in Vietnam mate for life. They have found that Vietnamese horseshoe crabs mate from June to August. That is why you often see them in pair, together, come to shore when it is a shiny full moon. While called "crabs", they are not true crabs but more closely related to spiders and scorpions. This ancient creature has been appearing over 350 million years on the earth, more than 100 million years before the dinosaurs. It can be considered one of the oldest living fossils. Each female horseshoe crab lays almost 90,000 rich-protein eggs in evening Spring tides during full moon.

1 female horseshoe crab
1 box of rice crakers or shrimp crackers
2 cup tender bamboo shoot, thinly shredded
1 cup carrot, thinly shredded
2/3 cup Vietnamese coriander leaves (rau răm), finely sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
sugar to taste
1 serrano chile, minced
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the grill 10 minutes on high, reduce the heat to medium grill the crab for 10-12 minutes each side.
In a small bowl, stir together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chiles, shallot. Let stand.
In a larger bowl, combine bamboo shoot, carrot and herb. Pour the dressing over and toss well.
Place the crab on dish, open up to scoop the roasted eggs inside the shell. Put these delicous eggs on rice cracker and top with the bamboo shoot salad.